EAS

1-866-4KBAHELP (866) 452-2435

One of the most important responsibilities that we have as an Association is to serve our membership with new services and opportunities to help you navigate the ever changing broadcast climate. In an effort to assist you with your engineering and technical questions, the Board of Directors recently approved funding for a new Engineering Hotline. The purpose of the hotline is to answer basic engineering questions while offering guidance and direction in resolving issues related to technical matters. However, the intent of the hotline is not to service your technical need “hands on”, but rather to help guide you in the event that you need to ask questions, seek recommendations or to gain expert advice.

The engineering hotline is maned by broadcast engineer Scott Cason. In addition to his own consulting and engineering firm, Scott has served the Association as an ABIP Inspector in recent years. In his new role, Scott will not only man the hotline but will also assist with the engineering track at the annual conference, explore the feasibility of an Engineering Academy for students, coordination of EAS tests and supervise the alternative broadcast inspection program (ABIP). In addition, stay up-to-date on all things engineering with Scott’s “Tech Notes” in your weekly ecast.

Please take a moment and save the toll free number above into your cellphone for future use. We are proud to offer this new exciting and valuable service to our members.

EAS plans contain guidelines which must be followed by EAS Participants’ personnel, emergency officials, and National Weather Service (NWS) personnel to activate the EAS. The plans include the EAS header codes and messages that will be transmitted by key EAS sources (NP, LP, SP and SR). State and local plans contain unique methods of EAS message distribution such as the use of the Radio Broadcast Data System (RBDS). The plans also include information on actions taken by EAS Participants, in coordination with state and local governments, to ensure timely access to EAS alert content by non-English speaking populations. The plans must be reviewed and approved by the Chief, Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau, prior to implementation to ensure that they are consistent with national plans, FCC regulations, and EAS operation.

(a) The State EAS Plan contains procedures for State emergency management and other State officials, the NWS, and EAS Participants’ personnel to transmit emergency information to the public during a State emergency using the EAS. EAS State Plans should include a data table, in computer readable form, clearly showing monitoring assignments and the specific primary and backup path for emergency action notification (“EAN”) messages that are formatted in the EAS Protocol (specified in §11.31), from the PEP to each station in the plan. If a state’s emergency alert system is capable of initiating EAS messages formatted in the Common Alerting Protocol (CAP), its EAS State Plan must include specific and detailed information describing how such messages will be aggregated and distributed to EAS Participants within the state, including the monitoring requirements associated with distributing such messages. Consistent with the requirements of §11.61(a)(3)(iv), EAS Participants shall provide the identifying information required by the EAS Test Reporting System (ETRS) no later than sixty days after the publication in the Federal Register of a notice announcing the approval by the Office of Management and Budget of the modified information collection requirements under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and an effective date of the rule amendment, or within sixty days of the launch of the ETRS, whichever is later, and shall renew this identifying information on a yearly basis or as required by any revision of the EAS Participant’s State EAS Plan filed pursuant to this section.

(b) The Local Area plan contains procedures for local officials or the NWS to transmit emergency information to the public during a local emergency using the EAS. Local plans may be a part of the State plan. A Local Area is a geographical area of contiguous communities or counties that may include more than one state.

(c) The FCC Mapbook is based on the consolidation of the data table required in each State EAS plan with the identifying data contained in the ETRS. The Mapbook organizes all EAS Participants according to their State, EAS Local Area, and EAS designation.

(d) EAS Participants are required to provide the following information to their respective State Emergency Communications Committees (SECC) within one year from the publication in the Federal Register of a notice announcing the approval by the Office of Management and Budget of the modified information collection requirements under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and an effective date of the rule amendment:

(1) A description of any actions taken by the EAS Participant (acting individually, in conjunction with other EAS Participants in the geographic area, and/or in consultation with state and local emergency authorities), to make EAS alert content available in languages other than English to its non-English speaking audience(s),

(2) A description of any future actions planned by the EAS Participant, in consultation with state and local emergency authorities, to provide EAS alert content available in languages other than English to its non-English speaking audience(s), along with an explanation for the Participant’s decision to plan or not plan such actions, and

(3) Any other relevant information that the EAS Participant may wish to provide, including state-specific demographics on languages other than English spoken within the state, and identification of resources used or necessary to originate current or proposed multilingual EAS alert content.

(e) Within six months of the expiration of the one-year period referred to in subsection (d) of this section, SECCs shall, as determined by the Commission’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau, provide a summary of such information as an amendment to or as otherwise included as part of the State EAS Plan filed by the SECC pursuant to this section 11.21.

(f) EAS Participants shall, within 60 days of any material change to the information they have reported pursuant to paragraphs (d)(1) and (2) of this section, submit letters describing such change to both their respective SECCs and the Chief, Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau. SECCs shall incorporate the information in such letters as amendments to the State EAS Plans on file with the Bureau under this section 11.21.

2019 RMT EAS SCHEDULE

Originators should run the test within 5 minutes of the scheduled time.

All stations are required to rebroadcast the test within 1 hour after received.

Local Primary stations are required to relay the test within 10 minutes.

MONTH

ORIGINATOR

DAY

DATE

TIME

January

WHAS

Thursday

1/17

5:50a

February

KYEOC

Thursday

2/14

12:07p

March

WUKY

Thursday

3/21

10:07a

April

WHAS

Thursday

4/18

12:07p

May

KYEOC

Thursday

5/16

10:07a

June

WUKY

Thursday

6/13

12:07p

July

WHAS

Thursday

7/18

10:07a

August

KYEOC

Thursday

8/15

12:07p

September

WUKY

Thursday

9/12

10:37a

October

WHAS

Thursday

10/17

12:07p

November

KYEOC

Thursday

11/14

10:37a

December

WUKY

Thursday

12/12

12:07p

Times shown are Eastern

This schedule is provided as a service of the KBA. Any questions or concerns should be directed to the Kentucky Broadcasters Association: Chris Winkle, President and CEO (502) 848-0426; or Scott Cason, Director of Engineering & Technology (502) 376-4851.